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Journalists are a pretty idiosyncratic bunch: Most of us have our own shorthand for note-taking, our own favored pens, notebooks, software and so on. I'm no different, and over the years I've built a pretty substantial set of apps, services and techniques to make work easier and to let me focus on what actually matters.

I also often find myself recommending one piece of software or another to other reporters. So I figured I'd start writing some of it down.

I'm not the first to do this, by far. Various reporters and organizations have put out their own recommendations or lists. Here are a few that I've run across — and I'll add more as I learn about them.

Dodged the flu this year? A lot of people have, and some companies aren’t too happy about it.

The CDC’s FluView map shows that this year’s influenza season has been a slow-starter. While the flu has picked up in recent weeks, sporadic reports of flu were the most common on the agency’s flu map during in December.

Roadside bombs have made brain damage a grim hallmark of modern war. A RAND study out today says 320,000 U.S. troops may have suffered brain injuries in Iraq and Afghanistan — and less than half say they were ever evaluated by a doctor.

Small and rural hospitals can have a tough time keeping patients. Many will drive an hour or two to the nearest city for all but the most basic — or most urgent — care. And the sickest patients may have to be shipped out anyway, to reach the specialists that might save them.

What if high-tech tools could bring the big-city expertise to their patients instead?

For decades, hospital nurseries have taken great care to keep babies warm. You can hardly move in the average maternity ward without tripping over incubators, warming bassinets and receiving blankets. Now, though, some hospitals are turning the thermostat down for a few infants.